[squarepeg]

i'm going shopping today for a cheap crock pot for melting wax cappings saved from last year's honey harvest.

i want to use the melted wax to coat plastic foundation to be used in honey supers for better acceptance.

i have read that some water should be used in the crock pot. how much water? and what is the water for?

i have also read that it is best to use a foam brush to apply the melted wax to the foundation

any advice from those of you who have done this is appreciated.

 

[BeeCurious]

I would recommend a rice cooker instead. I used ours when sealing hive top feeders.

The rice cooker heats well and you just hit the switch for a quick warm up.

If you're using a small roller I think a rice cooker will do a better job...

I have PF-120 frames but I have never reapplied any wax. I would clean / melt the cappings in a large pot initially, with water in it.

 

[Moots]

I'm just trying plastic for the first time this year and have only done this a couple times.

I decided to go with this little baby and absolutely love it. It's worked great....http://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-Kitchen-Kettle-Multi-Cooker-Steamer/14321003

I hadn't heard the water advice, so therefore, hadn't used any...and it hasn't been a problem. I also know people who use a roller, but someone suggested using a paint brush, so that's what I've done and I like the way it works.

I haven't tried a foam brush, but thought I had read somewhere NOT to use foam because it tended to come apart on you.

Good Luck!

 

[David LaFerney]

The water goes to the bottom where the heating element is. Since water boils at 212 F it simply cannot get any hotter than that as long as it doesn't boil dry. Same as a double boiler. So it makes it safer if you are using a crock pot - which could otherwise get hot enough to start a fire. However, how do you know when you are getting low on water? You could also use it as a double boiler by putting the wax in a second container inside of a crock pot full of hot water. Also the water will catch any honey and keep it from burning.

 

[Robbin]

I wax mine, but I don't know if it helps any or not. I use foam brushes, they wear out and break down, but you can get dozens of frames done before they break and they are cheap and have large flat surfaces to apply the wax with.

 

[Sticky Bear]

I just use a block of wax and rub over cell surface of frame, the bees take to it nicely.

 

[UTvolshype]

I just use a block of wax and rub over cell surface of frame, the bees take to it nicely.

I use a small paint roller dipped in hot wax melted in a big pot with about a inch of water in the bottom. Very messy so I do it in the garage with a hot plate. Good use for old cappings since you know where the wax came from. Just remember when you place it in the super to put in the full amount of frames or the bees will mess up the comb. IE: 10 frames in a ten frame super not nine.

 

[mgolden]

Just a word of caution. Using hot wax on the one piece Pierco frames can warp the foundation. Then have to install the bows all in one direction. Otherwise you get them almost touching and very deep cells. Go slow so as to not overheat. I would try rubbing on the cold wax.

I use a double boiler and a little water in the bottom of the top pan. An easy way to get a lot of the pollen out is to take a 2 inch strip of aluminum window screen, fold it in half, flatten out one end and use it like a spoon to fish out the pollen.

 

[rwlaw]

The 4 buck crockpot from goodwill works just fine for me. A couple inches of water in the bottom, stuff it full of cappings, set it on low and find something to do in the vicinity for a couple hours. Take the deep bowl that you found for a buck and rubber band a t shirt to it, and pour the whole thing thru it. Wax cools, hardens on the water and the solids settle, nice wax cake. Oh yeah, DON'T turn on high, it'll burn the snot out of the wax. Still trying to figure out what to do with that batch LOL.
I take the cake & scrub it on the foundation, lots easier, to me anyway.

 

[r hayden]

I use a double boiler in the kitchen when my wife is not home, when she is I wait till she's gone! Spread out a lot of newspaper!
Using a small foam roller works best for me, it's about two to three inches wide and cheap. Get it good and soaked with wax and roll up and back and you're done with one side, only takes seconds.

 

[AstroBee]

The only time I tried this was using a standard crock pot - no water, just cleaned pure beeswax. I used a 3 or 4 inch foam roller and it worked pretty good. Lightly skim the roller across the foundation - no need to push hard to coat the bottom of the cells, you're shooting to add wax to the rim of the cell. I find that the Mann Lake pre-waxed Rite-Cell foundation needs nothing - very good acceptance right out of the box. The PF XXX is another issue. Certainly more acceptance issues and more likely to result in screwed up comb. However, I find no reason to use the PF junk anyway. I find the cell size arguments way overblown and the other significant negatives of all plastic frames pretty much rule out such frames for me.

 

[Deepsouth]

The only time I tried this was using a standard crock pot - no water, just cleaned pure beeswax. I used a 3 or 4 inch foam roller and it worked pretty good. Lightly skim the roller across the foundation - no need to push hard to coat the bottom of the cells, you're shooting to add wax to the rim of the cell. I find that the Mann Lake pre-waxed Rite-Cell foundation needs nothing - very good acceptance right out of the box. The PF XXX is another issue. Certainly more acceptance issues and more likely to result in screwed up comb. However, I find no reason to use the PF junk anyway. I find the cell size arguments way overblown and the other significant negatives of all plastic frames pretty much rule out such frames for me.

I agree rite-cell does not need to be re waxed. The bees draw them out nicely right out of the box.
One thing I want to add is if you do roll on extra wax make sure you dont fill in the cells too much with extra wax. I actually seen bees mess up plastic that had too much wax on it.

 

[squarepeg]

many thanks for all of the replies. rite cell is what i have been using, and it has been getting drawn out ok. i haven't used anything else so i have no comparison. i just thought it might help to use my own wax to coat over the thin wax that the rite cell comes with. rubbing a little on sounds much easier than melting and painting. i did learn last year that they start drawing a new super of foundation faster if i add one frame of partially drawn comb to the box.

 

[Deepsouth]

many thanks for all of the replies. rite cell is what i have been using, and it has been getting drawn out ok. i haven't used anything else so i have no comparison. i just thought it might help to use my own wax to coat over the thin wax that the rite cell comes with. rubbing a little on sound much easier than melting and painting. i did learn last year that they start drawing a new super of foundation faster if i add one frame of partially drawn comb to the box.

I also found that if you add the super of foundation over the brood nest and re stack the drawn supers back on top (bottom supering)they dray the plastic out quicker.